Genetic Sampling of Unhabituated Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in Gishwati Forest Reserve, an Isolated Forest Fragment in Western Rwanda

Chancellor, Rebecca; Langergraber, Kevin E.; Ramírez, Sergio Flores; Rundus, Aaron; Vigilant, Linda

doi:10.1007/s10764-012-9591-6

Cited by 34 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…This robust grouping of the CNR chimpanzees with Eastern chimpanzees was further confirmed in additional analyses ( Supplementary Fig. A4) with a reduced set of only three loci but two additional Eastern chimpanzee populations from Gishwati and Ugalla (Chancellor et al, 2012;Moore and Vigilant, 2013). We also note that the clustering of our CNR samples with those from Budongo-Bugoma is not due to physical proximity since the CNR is about equally distant from Nouabale-Ndoki, the closest Central chimpanzee population included in our analysis (approx.…”

Section: Genetic Comparisonsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…We first combined our data with that of three populations of Central chimpanzees from Loango in Gabon (Arandjelovic et al, 2011), Lobéké in Cameroon and Nouabalé-Ndoki in the Republic of Congo (Fünfstück et al, 2015) and one population of Eastern chimpanzees from Budongo-Bugoma in Uganda (McCarthy et al, 2015) and used the eight microsatellite loci D10s676, D5s1470-PIG, D4s1627, D7s817-F2, D11s2002-R2, D3s3038, D3s2459 and D7s2204 that were typed in all populations. In a second set of analyses we added two additional populations of Eastern chimpanzees from Ugalla in Tanzania (Moore and Vigilant, 2013) and Gishwati in Rwanda (Chancellor et al, 2012). Given substantial mismatch between microsatellite loci used by these studies, these analyses were limited to the three microsatellite markers D5s1470-PIG, D7s817-F2 and D11s2002-R2.…”

Section: Inferring Population Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

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First quantitative survey delineates the distribution of chimpanzees in the Eastern Central African Republic

Aebischer

Siguindo

Rochat

et al. 2017

Biological Conservation

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A B S T R A C TVast, pristine ecosystems and their biodiversity are vanishing globally at frightening speed, but many large tracts of wilderness have not yet been systematically inventoried and important natural populations of threatened species remain poorly characterized. The forest-savanna ecotone of the Eastern Central African Republic (CAR) is one such poorly studied area. Using camera traps, transect walks and collected fecal samples, we provide the first quantitative survey of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in this region previously classified as a highly important chimpanzee conservation unit. In contrast to species distribution models and expert predictions, we did not find any evidence of chimpanzees in the large and remote forest blocks west of the Chinko River despite considerable search effort. Our study thus highlights the limitations of relying solely on remote sensing data to predict the presence or absence of endangered species and illustrates the necessity of extensive field surveys to accurately assess occurrence and density in remote areas. However, we did discover a sizeable and reproducing population of chimpanzees east of the Chinko River. Based on a density of 0.81 chimpanzees/km 2 in closed canopy forest that we inferred from nest count data, we estimate 910 weaned chimpanzees to inhabit the Chinko Nature Reserve (CNR) and further predict additional 2700 individuals in adjacent, unmanaged hunting zones and reserves. According to microsatellite data, these chimpanzees genetically cluster with P. t. schweinfurthii populations in East Africa. Conservation action and appropriate management plans are urgently needed to protect this important population and to prevent heavily-armed nomadic pastoralists from the Sahel, illegal miners, as well as elephant and meat poachers, from irretrievably destroying the natural vegetation and local biodiversity of the area.

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Section: Genetic Comparisonsupporting

confidence: 80%

Section: Inferring Population Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

First quantitative survey delineates the distribution of chimpanzees in the Eastern Central African Republic

Aebischer

Siguindo

Rochat

et al. 2017

Biological Conservation

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“…At the latter two sites, fecal samples were collected from individually known apes under direct observation by resident primatologists. Finally, samples were obtained from nonhabituated chimpanzees in the Gishwati Forest (GI) in northwestern Rwanda (n ϭ 49) (12,49). Because of a lack of refrigeration at most field sites, especially in the DRC, samples were kept at ambient temperature for various periods of time (usually several weeks, but in some instances several months) before they could be stored at Ϫ20°C.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Eastern Chimpanzees, but Not Bonobos, Represent a Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Reservoir

Ndjango

Learn

et al. 2012

J Virol

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Chimpanzees in west central Africa ( Pan troglodytes troglodytes ) are endemically infected with simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVcpz Ptt ) that have crossed the species barrier to humans and gorillas on at least five occasions, generating pandemic and nonpandemic forms of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) as well as gorilla SIV (SIVgor). Chimpanzees in east Africa ( Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii ) are also infected with SIVcpz; however, their viruses (SIVcpz Pts ) have never been found in humans. To examine whether this is due to a paucity of natural infections, we used noninvasive methods to screen wild-living eastern chimpanzees in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda, and Rwanda. We also screened bonobos ( Pan paniscus ) in the DRC, a species not previously tested for SIV in the wild. Fecal samples ( n = 3,108) were collected at 50 field sites, tested for species and subspecies origin, and screened for SIVcpz antibodies and nucleic acids. Of 2,565 samples from eastern chimpanzees, 323 were antibody positive and 92 contained viral RNA. The antibody-positive samples represented 76 individuals from 19 field sites, all sampled north of the Congo River in an area spanning 250,000 km 2 . In this region, SIVcpz Pts was common and widespread, with seven field sites exhibiting infection rates of 30% or greater. The overall prevalence of SIVcpz Pts infection was 13.4% (95% confidence interval, 10.7% to 16.5%). In contrast, none of the 543 bonobo samples from six sites was antibody positive. All newly identified SIVcpz Pts strains clustered in strict accordance to their subspecies origin; however, they exhibited considerable genetic diversity, especially in protein domains known to be under strong host selection pressure. Thus, the absence of SIVcpz Pts zoonoses cannot be explained by an insufficient primate reservoir. Instead, greater adaptive hurdles may have prevented the successful colonization of humans by P. t. schweinfurthii viruses.

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“…Genomic DNA can be easily obtained from the remnants epithelial cells often encase the fecal pellets without harming or even observing the animals for generating species-specific sequences (Chancellor et al 2012) and individual-specific genotypes (Bellemaina et al 2007). Non-invasive genetics sampling, thus provide an effective way of obtaining PCR amplifiable DNA which can be subsequently processed for sex determination, individual identification and understanding population dynamics of an elusive species in a landscape (Arandjelovic et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Species identification and molecular sexing from feces of Kashmir stag (Cervus elaphus hanglu)

Mukesh

Sharma

Charoo

et al. 2015

Conservation Genet Resour

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We developed an easy and efficient molecular genetics technique where species identification and sexing of Kashmir stag (Cervus elaphus hanglu) was carried out simultaneously in a single PCR. The technique has assigned the sexes of known and unknown individuals without any ambiguity and has proven its applicability in identifying sexes of several other cervids including chital, sambar and hog deer.

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Genetic Sampling of Unhabituated Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in Gishwati Forest Reserve, an Isolated Forest Fragment in Western Rwanda

Cited by 34 publications

References 52 publications

First quantitative survey delineates the distribution of chimpanzees in the Eastern Central African Republic

First quantitative survey delineates the distribution of chimpanzees in the Eastern Central African Republic

Eastern Chimpanzees, but Not Bonobos, Represent a Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Reservoir

Species identification and molecular sexing from feces of Kashmir stag (Cervus elaphus hanglu)

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